


poetry of the hands

by jynxu



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mute Link, Sign Language, and sidon is oblivious, link is head over heels for sidon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 12:26:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11275311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jynxu/pseuds/jynxu
Summary: Prince Sidon asks his favorite Hylian to teach him sign language.





	poetry of the hands

Link finds comfort in small things across Hyrule.

He enjoys the rare occasions when there's no evil in sight; when he can breathe in the fresh air without having to worry about the task ahead. He spends enough time with the nightmares that plague his head.

Catching frogs during rainy days will also suffice.

Stopping at Kakariko Village and cooking meals with the local children is another one of his joys.

Though nothing could top the moments he shares with Prince Sidon at Zora's Domain. Those he enjoys the most.

At first, the Zora prince had come off as a bit too much, especially with Link's laid-back personality. During his travels, there was no one with such hope for the future as Sidon. Even the headstrong Gerudo always seemed to have something to grumble about. Maybe it was something passed on through royalty; Link wouldn't know.

Of course he'd wanted to take back the Divine Beast as soon as possible; not only did he want to stay on task, but he was sure that the Zora elders had definitely not wanted him anywhere near their kingdom and wanted him out quickly. His bloodied outfit (from both his own injuries and those of his enemies) had certainly given off a lasting impression. The route had been difficult for him, especially with the constant rain beating down. Wounded and unwanted, Link's spirits fell.

Sidon was there to raise them back up. That was his job.

He spent more time in Zora's Domain than necessary; it was nice to finally have someone to confide in. He'd felt rather lonely this entire time. With the whole destiny he was tied to and the clock ticking by until Calamity Ganon broke free, there wasn't much time to stop and make friends along the way.

With encouraging words and support, Link managed to conquer the evil within Vah Ruta.

Parting with Sidon was bittersweet; his journey would continue as planned, but staying on the down-low with the prince was a marvelous way to spend his time.

Of course, there was no way he could stay away for too long.

 

* * *

 

"Ah, Link!" Sidon calls from his perch overlooking the entrance to Zora's Domain as he spots the Hylian making his way over the tiring bridge.

In response, all Link can do is wave. The trip from Goron City took days, and his hours of sleep have been numbered. Hopefully, the inn is just as free as always.

The guards at the entrance greet him with familiarity. Link tips his head towards both of them, sheathing his sword for good. He won't be needing it for the time being. With the sun pouring light onto the rather reflective structures around him, Link pulls the hood of his cloak off his head. This way, he's able to see Sidon hustling down the left staircase to meet him. _What a wonderful greeting,_ he thinks.

"My friend! What brings you here?" Sidon asks as he nearly crushes Link in a hug. He lets go only when he remembers that Hylians do not have the same lung capacity of a Zora.

Link fans himself to indicate that he's tired; there's no other way to tell Sidon what he's visiting for. He has yet to meet someone in Hyrule who can use sign language, making communication rather hard for the alleged hero. Despite losing his memory over the past hundred years, he remembers how to sign perfectly. It's similar to the way his articulate swordsmanship is embedded deep within.

"Need a place to rest, yes?" Sidon tilts his head curiously, taking ahold of Link's tiny hand. "The inn is open to all, especially our treasured hero!"

Link smiles cautiously as he's practically dragged over to the inn and hurried inside by Sidon. "You rest well now, alright? The road ahead is treacherous and you'll be needing all the sleep you can get. See you in the morning!"

Before he can make another move, Sidon turns and leaves the inn. Kayden waves from behind the counter, seemingly used to this type of behavior from the prince. Link supposes all of the Zora people are.

"I'm guessing you want the water bed, as per usual," Kayden remarks as the visitor places his gear down by his favorite bed without a second thought. Link digs through his pocket and scrounges up the payment before collapsing backwards onto the mattress, closing his eyes and instantly falling asleep. Getting the opportunity to sleep in a bed is a delicacy that he will thoroughly enjoy.

 

He doesn't know what part of the day he fell asleep, but he wakes up to a clear morning sky with the colors of orange, yellow, and blue blending to create something straight from a painting. He reaches for the Sheikah Slate on his hip, hoping to snap a picture so that his shattered memory may be able to recall something from the past. Not just that, but the gorgeous scenery will make his album full of odd photos a little less strange. (There may or may not be an entire page of nothing but photos of dogs he's come across during his travels.)

As the sun rises near four in the morning, the rest of the domain seems to be asleep; Link discards his worn boots and chooses to leave the inn barefoot, feeling the chill of the smooth luminous stone architecture beneath his feet. The only sound he hears is that of the water that fountains from Mipha's statue; he admires it for a moment before carrying on.

The staircase is a lot harder to climb for a small Hylian (even smaller than average, in fact), but Link scales it with early-morning energy. As he looks to his right, he finds that he is, in fact, not the only one awake during the early morning hours: Sidon stands guard on the balcony like always, keeping his sharp eyes forward.

Link has trained himself to be stealthy; it's very helpful while hunting or sneaking around enemy camps. So when he taps one of Sidon's clawed hands without being heard, the reaction he gets is a strange one.

The notorious prince of the Zora makes a sound that could be qualified as a squeak as the shock is sent through his body from the simple tap that he was given. As he looks down, his slitted pupils widen as he recognizes the person who caused such a reaction.

"Do you enjoy playing tricks on people, little Hylian?" the prince asks, playfully squinting his eyes.

Link smiles innocently and steps up onto the platform, trying to make himself seem not so short next to the towering Zora.

"You know, I'm very glad you came to visit. It gets to be quite a bore around here without you," Sidon mentions, heightening his gaze to look back towards the bridge. "I was also wondering if you'd be able to teach me your language, Link. Being able to converse with you in a more-" he pauses for a moment, "-respectable manner would be wonderful."

The smaller of the two raises his eyebrows, interested, and looks down at his scarred hands. He wonders if such ragged hands will be able to master the art of teaching an expressive language. With another tap on Sidon's large hand to earn his attention, Link offers a nod.

A sharp-toothed grin spreads across Sidon's face at the gesture, and points to the claws on one of his hands. "Do you think these will be a problem?" he asks, genuinely curious.

Link shakes his head with a soundless laugh.

"Could you teach me 'hello'?" he questions, focusing both of his cat-like eyes on the Hylian.

Another nod; Link holds his hand to his forehead and extends it outwards slowly in somewhat of a salute, making sure that Sidon understands.

He executes the motion relatively easily; of course, "hello" is one of the simpler signs, but it's a good place to start.

"How about 'thank you'?"

Link presses his fingers to his lips and lowers his hand, realizing the action is similar to blowing a kiss. He hopes that Sidon won't pick up on this as his cheeks begin to turn a little red.

"I like this one," the prince says as he mimics the action, just as he did before. "Do you have anything else that's crucial?" he begins to ask (honestly, all these questions are slightly overwhelming, but he'll make it through).

Before Link can comprehend his movements, he holds up his pinkie and index finger away from his face, shaking his hand back and forth in the smallest action he can.

Sidon tilts his head like one of the stable dogs as he tries to copy the hero. "What does it mean?"

Link covers his face as it begins to change color, embarrassed that he just signed "I love you" to Sidon.

"Link? Are you sick?" the naïve prince wraps a large hand around one of Link's slender wrists. "What did you sign?"

As Link lowers his hands slowly and points to himself, Sidon tries to guess what he means.

"You?"

A shake of the head.

"I?"

A nod, and Link searches through his brain to find another symbol that could mean "love." He tries to point to his heart, but this leads Sidon off track; he takes too many guesses before the Hylian is forced to try something else. His scarred hands form the shape of a heart and Sidon's face lights up.

"Love?"

Link nods slowly, refusing to make eye contact with those wide, carnivorous (but somewhat comforting) eyes. At last, he points at Sidon, who puts two-and-two together to finally understand the phrase Link was signing moments earlier.

"I love you?"

There is no nod this time, only a fallen, blushing face.

Sidon grins, his pearly white teeth flashing. He doesn't understand how much the phrase means to Link, or how his seemingly-suggestive words confuse the Hylain to no end. But this time, he's absolutely sure of the truth that his words conjure.

"I love you as well, treasured hero!"

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this whole thing in one sitting from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. so i apologize for how sloppy it is.  
> thank you for reading!


End file.
